Put Your Legal Education to Work in Rural Areas in Need

Interested in spending your summer putting your legal education to work in a rural community? If you’re a first or second-year law school student, apply to our Rural Summer Legal Corps (RSLC). Each year, Equal Justice Works, alongside the Legal Services Corporation (LSC), supports dedicated law students as they bring legal services to rural and isolated communities throughout the nation.

Rural communities in the United States commonly face shortages of talented lawyers. Often, those living in rural and isolated communities are forced to travel hundreds of miles to obtain legal assistance. The RSLC aims to close the gap in civil legal aid by mobilizing law students to improve access to justice for those people living in rural and isolated areas.

“To me, public interest law is about giving a voice to oppressed, silenced, and forgotten people and places,” says 2018 RSLC Student Fellow Emily Guillaume, addressing her motivation for participating in the program.

At LSC-funded civil legal aid organizations, Student Fellows gain hands-on experience as they complete 300 hours of service within an eight-to ten-week period, while earning a $5,000 stipend. Potential work includes providing direct legal services, performing legal research and writing, and conducting outreach and education on a variety of current legal issues facing rural communities. Additionally, law students have the opportunity to attend a substantive three-day training seminar in Washington, D.C.

To apply, submit an application by 11:59 p.m. EST on February 11, 2019. For more information about RSLC eligibility and requirements, please visit rurallegalcorps.org/apply.